


Exchanges

by ScientistWD



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, F/F, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-08
Updated: 2020-05-08
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:01:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 10,722
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24062533
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ScientistWD/pseuds/ScientistWD
Summary: Adora and Catra.Christening their new apartment, our heroines settle in to their wonderful, domestic life together. Long days to sleepless nights, stressful jobs to rowdy games, arguments to compliments; all these exchanges can make life dizzying, but they have each other to bear through with it.Catra and Adora.How will they settle down?How will they be free?
Relationships: Adora/Catra (She-Ra)
Comments: 23
Kudos: 36
Collections: Catradora Big Bang 2020





	1. Introduction

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to Seafaring and my pal Star for beta reading.

"Ta-da!" Adora led the way into their new apartment, and the girls got a good look at it.  
On the left, a kitchenette, with a bedroom nearby. Against the back wall, a big window with the fire escape. On the right, another bedroom near to the bathroom. And in the center, a healthy open space with a TV and couch left over from the previous tenants.  
"It's a winner, I think!" She ran around the place, showing Catra how her vision came to life. "We can cook mac and cheese here in the kitchen, and I think we can use the bedroom on this side. And look at this window, great for summer! And the other bedroom... it can be like your 'model room' right?" She opened its door. It wasn't very big. "It's kinda small and there's no lock on it for some reason, but that's fine, that's why it's better for art than sleeping."  
"I do a lot of sleeping, Adora," came Catra. She hadn't been following along, her own scheming and analysis being much faster. "Still... it looks pretty good, Princess. I thought for sure you'd mess this up."  
"Yes, well, I couldn't let YOU do it, or we'd be living above a Taco Bell," she replied.  
"That was ONE time."  
"And you purred like a kitten~"  
"Alright, let's settle this." Catra motioned to the couch. "What do you say we break in this old junk?"  
"You're on. I've been practicing."  
"When's that ever mattered?"  
"Ohoho, just you wait, Catra. Yoshi and I have a bond now. We're not letting you walk away without losing at least once!"

* * *

After nine consecutive Mario Kart victories, Catra finally yawned. "How does it feel to be the world's slowest person?"  
Adora's face slowly crept up from her SuperNintendo controller to give Catra an exceptionally cross smile. "You cheated."  
"Ha!" Catra laughed. "You WISH I was cheating!"  
"You were kicking me the entire time!" She gently slammed her leg into Catra's to demonstrate.  
"You call THAT kicking?" she retorted, wielding a kick of her own.  
A kick became a punch, a punch became a headlock, and soon after a scuffle broke out. Each aimed to pin the other, or trap one with a noogie, or tie the other's long sleeves together, or remove the other's socks. Always a game. Sometimes, a winner.  
Mario Kart was an important pastime for them. They'd first seen a SuperNintendo among Weaver's confiscations, and managed to sneak plays on it a handful of times in their youth before they were discovered.  
Catra always picked Donkey Kong. She kinda identified with him; he was a big, clumsy ape that could never beat Mario. He was absolutely oafish, no one liked him, and he could only get what he wanted by taking it. All he ever did was take up space and get laughed at by the other characters--at least, that's how it was in Catra's mind. As much had been reflected of her time at the Academy.  
Adora always picked Yoshi. Because she thought he was cute.  
Of course, before too long, Catra had decided that she simply wasn't cut out for the Academy and took her leave. She begged Adora to come with. Adora refused, citing her sense of duty. It wasn't until years later that she'd finally caught onto the reasons Catra left, and departed "amicably" with Weaver to go out into the world and leave her military plans behind, for good.   
Catra had been doing alright on her own. One of her roommates had had a Super Nintendo. He was a jerk, so she stole it. Not too much later, Adora somehow reappeared. This much is history.  
"Well, well, not so tough now, are you?" she taunted. "Adora wins again."  
"Whatever, Miss Boot Camp," from Catra, who was pinned by Adora. She looked up to her arm. "You bruised my wrist. Tsk. That's gonna ruin my photos, Adora."  
"Oh, sorry," she said, relaxing her grip. This was a mistake.  
Catra, seizing the opening, completely turned the tables on her and got Adora pinned instead. "Wooow," she taunted back, near out of breath. "How does it feel to lose because you forgot that makeup exists?"  
"Cheater."  
Just then, Adora's phone set off an alarm. Catra was determined to prevent her from answering it, but eventually "allowed" her to get to her phone.  
"Ah! I gotta go, Sherry's waiting." She hustled to get her gym clothes together. "Unpack while I'm gone, okay?"  
"Sure, whatever, Princess. I'll think about it."  
Adora gave her a pretend-threatening look, pointing to her eyes, then Catra's. "Hey. Just do it. I love you. Bye." And shut the door behind her.  
"Wow, love you, too, I guess," she mused, stretching out on the couch. She checked her own phone.  
GET READY FOR WORK: 5MINS AGO  
"Whoops."  
In all, the past was behind them. But the future always came with new struggles. Eventually, Catra and Adora would be equipped to face them all.  
"Eh, five minutes isn't that bad."


	2. Dinner: Sherry

"Ta-da," grinned Catra.  
Adora had just gotten home, to a particularly dark apartment. Their one table had been cleared off (no easy task for either of them) and a pair of red candles were lit. Several others had been placed around the apartment, too, to really set the mood.  
Adora was left a tad dumbfounded. "Uhh--"  
"I got the gig, Adora," Catra continued, followed by an obnoxious wave of her arm to show off the new dress she'd made. "From that indie website I told you about. They liked it. They like me. I'm a star! How does it feel, Adora, to be dating me?" She twirled. "You're SO lucky."  
Adora tried to fight an uncomfortable laugh, but--  
"And of course," went on Catra, her smile growing. "It's my night to make dinner. So I did. It's your favorite because you're my girlfriend, and I love you."  
At this, Catra put her handiwork on display. One of the "nice bowls", full of macaroni and cheese. Tiny pasta elbows, bound by three gooey cheeses lost in each other's flavor. Dripping with goodness. And grease. And salt. And pepperoni.  
"Uhm--"  
"Gosh, look at you." Catra gently held Adora's face, and quickly kissed her forehead. You know, as a joke. "You're lost. Totally basking in me right now." Catra quickly turned, and pushed up a chair for Adora. "Sit. Enjoy it!"  
And at that, Catra sauntered to the opposite side of their short table and flopped into her chair in an extremely un-ladylike manner, putting her bare feet up right next to her own bowl of cheesy pasta.  
Adora finally had a moment to look at her food. It was still steaming, just a little, as if it'd just been served. The cheese was even running down the sides. And the pepperoni, the thing that completed every bowl of mac and cheese; she could smell it. Sinfully tempting. And somehow, tonight.  
Sickening.  
"You're quiet," said Catra suddenly, making Adora jump. "Is there a problem? Say something nice about me."  
"Um..." Adora searched for words. "You're pretty?"  
Catra managed a small smile, and took a sip of milk from her wine glass. "I am. But seriously," she looked at Adora. "What's the matter; what's wrong? Did I mess something up? I know I didn't forget the garlic salt."  
"No, it's perfect, it's..."  
"It's what?"  
"Do you ever feel... irresponsible, eating unhealthy food?"  
Catra raised her brow from the other side of their candles. "Where's THIS coming from?" Adora always had a hankering for responsibility, but not usually at dinnertime. "Did something happen at work?"  
Suddenly, her pasta was a little more interesting; Adora stirred it with her spoon as she continued. "Yeah, just... Sherry, again."  
Nailed it. Catra rolled her eyes from across the table. Adora had been Sherry's personal trainer for as long as Catra's ever known. She'd only met her once, but she's heard stories. Always trying to get extra time, vying for more attention, micromanaging her own routine, even Adora's own routine. From what Catra had heard, Sherry was the kind of person who always thought she knew what the right answer was, and how everyone was "really" supposed to live their own lives and take care of themselves. As if no one else in the world knew what they really wanted OR how to get it.  
Needless to say, she wasn't very good at taking even so much as a suggestion from someone younger than she was. Needless to say, she was an awful client.  
"Sherry sucks, Adora," she reminded her with a scowl.  
"Well, that's just it..." Adora churned her food some more, aware of how awful it smelled. "She quit today. She saw me eating a chocolate chip bagel this morning and it just set her off."  
"Good! Finally!"  
She firmly held her spoon. "No! Not 'good', Catra! Bad!"  
"Why in the world would you want her as a client?? She's given you nothing but grief, Adora, she--"  
"She was MY client!"  
"So? Your waiting list is longer than everyone else's at the gym; you're the best, you're perfect."  
"So! She was my responsibility! She had a bad attitude, but I was supposed to teach her!"  
"Adora, she literally yelled at you for eating a chocolate chip bagel."  
"And she was wrong, but that's part of my job! Eating a chocolate chip bagel and her yelling at me, and me teaching her 'it's okay, being healthy isn't about bagels,' is part of my job!"  
"Ugh. You're overthinking this, Adora."  
"I am NOT overthinking this!" Adora abruptly stood up from the table, making a huge noise with her chair. She stared down at Catra.  
But she stared back, leering from her open sitting posture. Adora's among the nicest people in the world, literally defending the people that treated her poorly. But when it came to people that treated Adora poorly, Catra had no remorse.  
She sighed, and stood up calmly herself. "Simmer down, Princess. You're a good trainer."  
"But Sherry--"  
"--was terrible." Catra put her hands on Adora's shoulders. "And didn't deserve your time. Do you know why I'm not one of your clients anymore?"  
Adora almost laughed. "Because I'm here all the time and can watch you?"  
"No," she smiled. "Because I learned from you. And now I don't need you to. That's how ALL of your clients are, Adora. You lose clients when they learn not only to exercise and take care of themselves, but also when they accept what 'healthy' means to them.  
"Sherry? Sherry sucked. She didn't train with you to learn, she trained with you to validate her own messed-up worldview and to boss you around."  
Catra got in close, bonking her forehead on Adora's. "Some people won't listen, no matter how much you beg them to, okay? Those people can't be forced to do 'what's good for them', that's never going to be possible. So let them go. Okay?"  
Adora gave her own deep sigh, looking from her food on the table back to Catra's mismatched eyes. "Okay. I'll try."  
"Good. She'll realize one day that you're right and she was being a jerk the whole time." Catra pushed Adora back into her chair, and returned to her own seat. "Do you still want to eat something else?"  
Adora shook her head. "I'm eating this mac and cheese on principle now."  
"Uuuugh! Good, because I worked SO hard on it," she explained, swaying from side to side as she recounted her story. "Like, there was some fancy cheese at work today, so I picked it up before I got home and even looked up how to like, make the sauce thicker and stuff and--"  
"..."  
"Adora, are you crying?"  
"Mmf?" she said, mouth full of pasta and eyes definitely watering with real, actual tears. She swallowed. "No, I... it's so good, Catra, and you're right. I come home and... and my beautiful model girlfriend is here and she's made me my favorite dinner and you got the gig! You wanted it so much but I came in sad, and you made me feel better even though it was your special day..."  
"Ha," she chuckled. "Yeah?"  
She put her hand on her face, unable to contain her sudden surge of emotion. "I'm sorry for bringing the night down. You're wonderful, Catra. I love you."  
"I know," she said smugly. "And I love you, too."


	3. Dinner: Movie

Catra took in a deep breath, then blew the eraser shavings off of her desk. They flew off everywhere, joining the thin layer of dust covering everything else on her desk and easel. Pens, pencils, markers, small notepads; for someone as meticulous as she was, most of her work binges wound up over top of the last, each replaced by her next big idea.  
Pinned to the walls with tacks and string, dozens and dozens of photographs and sketches were suspended for her to see. They covered most of the room's empty space. The rest of her den was a virtually untraversable mess of fabrics and threads in an indefensible violation of their building's fire code.  
"How do you keep track of everything?" Adora asked, looking around as she peeked in from the living room.  
She stole a few more glances from her sketches before turning to Adora and smirking. "It's all up here," she said, poking her forehead with her finger. "All I need."  
"Hmmm, you sure?" Adora chuckled. "Anyway, our reservations for the place are in two hours; do you want to get ready?"  
"Oh yeah. What place, again?"  
"You know, that place across town? It has like, the fancy expensive food? And it's really good, apparently, but they kicked us out because we weren't dressed nicely enough? Even though the food looked really small and like 40 dollars for a breadstick?"  
"Ugh. THAT place."  
"Yeah well we need two hours to get dressed and get over there, are you ready?"  
She thought about it, staring blankly at her wall ahead. As much as Catra was literally an aspiring model and loved dressing up, she was a little too "nouveau" for most places. And all the way across town for food that was fancy and expensive instead of tasty? Was sixty dollar steak worth it? Her face grew perplexed. She looked to her girlfriend.  
She was wearing the same face.  
"Should we stay in?" Catra asked. "We can watch movies."  
"YES! Please!" from Adora. "I'll make spaghetti."

* * *

Adora plopped onto the couch next to Catra, who was already halfway done with her pasta. "So what's first?"  
She hit "play" on the remote. "The Last Unicorn. I've been wanting to watch this one again."  
"THIS old movie?"  
"Yes! It's a classic, Adora!"  
"Okay, okay," and they let the movie play. A solemn song began. Beautiful art scrolled past the screen. The experience was storybook-like, homey and kind.  
From above her plate, Adora watched Catra with her eyes glued to the screen. She didn't seem as interested in her food. Must be a good movie, she thought. Catra's concentration wouldn't be broken.  
"SLLLLLUUUUUUUURRP!" went Adora, pestering her girlfriend with an obnoxious wind at her noodles.  
"C'mon, I'm trying to watch this," she complained, gently pushing Adora's knee.  
She egged her on. "Gee, I didn't know you were into Unicorn stuff, Catra."  
Catra, though, gave her just a sideways glance before returning her focus to the movie. Something was off about her, Adora thought. But, she let it go, electing to eat her pasta instead. Maybe she'd get some enjoyment out of this kid's movie yet.

* * *

The appearance of Shmendrick the Magician triggered something in Adora's mind.  
"I've seen this movie..." she said abruptly.  
Catra turned to Adora, confused. "You forgot?"  
"WE'VE seen this movie? When did we see this movie?"  
Catra scoffed. "It was the one movie Weaver let us watch. We were like six or something. But she only let us watch it like three times."  
"Oh..."  
Catra turned back to the movie.  
And Adora did, too. She felt bad for forgetting, but... maybe Catra didn't care?  
She slouched on the couch so she could put her head on Catra's shoulder. Catra leaned backward, but only a little.

* * *

Before too long they finished their spaghetti. And when Catra got a sketchbook from her room, Adora found solace in the fact that she wasn't the only one who thought this was "the boring part of the movie".  
She looked over Catra's shoulder at what she was drawing. Some kind of feathery costume, reminiscent of the Harpy from earlier.  
"What'cha workin' on?"  
"A harpy outfit," she replied without looking away. "It kinda got me thinking: I want to do this, be a model for as long as I can, right? I have to design outfits that look good on me when I'm old."  
Hm. The Harpy from earlier was kind of wrinkly and decrepit, with white hair. "That's neat."  
"Want me to draw you one?"  
"A... harpy outfit?"  
"I can draw you in the vein of this movie in general."  
"Like what?"  
Catra turned to a fresh page, and looked to the animated film for a spark of inspiration. "Let's see... princess, obviously, and..." she saw the noble Prince Lir on the screen. "Knight?" In an instant, she got to work.  
Adora watched her draw. She was still leaning on her left shoulder, but Catra didn't seem to mind.  
"Tall legs..." Catra started. "Wide shoulders... breastplate... STRONG shoulders... gym shorts..."  
Adora laughed. "Gym shorts for a knight?"  
"PRINCESS knight. And yeah, I know you won't like it if you're not wearing shorts."  
"I wear other stuff sometimes!"  
"Oh yeah? Well I'm looking at you right now and I actually think you're wearing TWO pairs of shorts."  
"No I'm not; don't be weird!"  
"And done~" Catra laughed, putting the finishing touches on the tiara on top of her art. "What do you think?"  
Adora had a chance to look it over. The armor was very regal, but also a bit tattered and used. Her hair was down, which Catra drew a lot better-looking than it actually was in real life. Armored gauntlets on her forearms, but otherwise her outfit was made for mobility.  
"Why am I not wearing shoes?" she asked, pointing instead at the anklet Catra had drawn on one leg.  
"It's a princess thing."  
"You sure it's not a 'Catra' thing?" she smiled, citing Catra's own bare feet.  
"Ugh, maybe." she joked. "But it's like, 'dainty'. The trope of the era was that princesses were fragile and gentle and nice. You're not EXACTLY like that, but I kinda thought that a touch of that would make it more like a classic fairy tale."  
"Oh," she said, continuing to stare at it. "You're a nerd."  
Catra shoved her "YOU'RE a nerd."  
"I like it. I'm putting it on the fridge."  
"Pssh, okay, MOM." Catra tore the page out of the book and handed it to Adora. "And get me an ice cream sandwich while you're there."  
"Sure."

* * *

Laughter absolutely filled the space as the two of them gasped for air. Adora fell clean off the couch and dropped her ice cream, she was laughing so hard.  
The Sassy Skeleton, as it turned out, was objectively the best part of the movie.

* * *

As the movie came down from its climax, it became clear that Prince Lir and Amalthea would not find love with each other. Amalthea had been the titular unicorn all along, and had to return to the forest.  
"I remember this," came Adora, still leaning on Catra's shoulder. "I remember hating this part."  
"Really," her girlfriend laughed. "Why? Got a thing for unicorns?"  
"No!" Adora jabbed her ribs. Lightly, of course. "For happy endings, duh."  
"She goes back to the forest, she frees the other unicorns. What's not happy about that?"  
"I... I dunno, Catra. I guess... I just like to think that if two people love each other, that's all you need. And that sometimes, people change for the ones they love."  
A light burp snuck out of Catra's gut as her ice cream sandwich came back to visit. "Lame," she said. "Love doesn't even usually work like that."  
Adora sat up and crossed her arms at her. "Oh yeah? Hm? You wanna rethink that answer, Miss Cynical?"  
"Ugh, look, okay my old roommates, right? They broke up. And then the got back together, and then they broke up, and got back together, over and over, like every other month. Their 'love' made them totally crazy. Obviously you and I aren't like that, but, like, you know what I mean, right?"  
"Yeah, I guess, but... um..."  
She mulled it over. Catra could see the furrow in her brow that meant it'd upset her.  
"Hey, Adora?"  
That broke her train of thought. "Yeah?"  
"I still love you," she half-mumbled, trying to hide her emotion. "And... I always will, okay? Even if I have to turn back into a unicorn."  
Adora smiled, and almost laughed. "Promise?"  
"Wow Adora, how about 'I love you, too'?"  
She scoffed, offended. "Jerk!" she said, kicking her in the leg.  
"Hey!" Catra responded, rapping her knuckle on Adora's huge forehead. "Prude! Say it!"  
"I love you!" she shouted, shoving Catra off of the couch, onto the floor, and into another brawl. Except this time, it ended with Adora landing hundreds of tiny kisses all over Catra's face.  
Another loss for Catra. Or win, maybe. Whatever.


	4. Illness: Snuggie

"Caaatrraaaa!"  
She flinched, hearing her name from the bedroom like that. A lesser woman might not have heard Adora's weak, stuffy voice from behind a closed door, but Catra had been expecting something like this.  
"Have you seen my shooorts!?" she yelled again, a loud sniff punctuating the quiet words.  
Ugh. Catra stood up from the couch and opened the door to the bedroom after slipping on her disposable face mask.  
Adora had gotten out of bed, making a mess of the blankets and overturning a tissue box. "We need to clean this closet," came Adora's muffled voice from the corner of the room.  
"I hid your shorts, Adora." Catra's voice was muffled, too, behind her face mask. "You can't go to the gym; you're still sick."  
She made some excuses. "I'm fine, it's--sniiiiiiiiiiiff--just for like an hour, I've been gone for a couple of days. My clients are gonna--"  
"No," from Catra. "You're gonna get everyone else sick."  
"Psshh, come o--sniff--come on, Catra." Adora was still digging through the closet looking. "Not everyone's as worried about getting sick as--Catra!"  
Adora turned back to the doorway but Catra was gone.  
"Catra, no!" she continued as she started to leave the bedroom. "Not the Snuggie, I have to--"  
Catra burst out from behind the corner in an extra-large Snuggie, enveloping Adora in the psuedoblanket like a hunter with a net. She got her grip around Adora's right arm, but she still had to get the left one.  
"Catra, I--sniff--I have to go, Catra, it--Ah!" She was panting. Unable to breathe through her nose and weak from sickness.  
Catra wasn't letting up, attacking Adora from all angles. Her victim couldn't see her under cover of Snuggie. And in less than a minute, Catra had tied the arms of the Snuggie around Adora's arms and waist, trapping her. All she had to do after that was wrap her up like a burrito.  
"Go to bed, Adora," she, said, bending down to lift her girlfriend up over her shoulder and throw her onto the bed. Adora was heavy and strong, but Catra could always manage at times like this. For love.  
Adora could barely speak, she was winded and still sick. "How can you... beat me every time....?" she heaved between breaths. "I have... military training..."  
Catra carefully set Adora in bed, tucking the blankets tight over the corners of the mattress so she couldn't escape. Afterward, she clapped her hands together in a job well done.  
"Want soup or something?" Catra asked.  
"Ugh. I hate you."  
"Chicken noodle, or tomato bisque?"  
"Chicken noodle."

* * *

Catra sighed as she brought a TV tray and a bowl of soup into their bedroom. "Okay, I'm sorry, alright?"  
Adora could manage to turn her head and give a slightly resentful glare from beneath her blanket prison. "Sorry?" she asked, sarcastically.   
"You know I had to give you the Snuggie, Adora; you're gonna get the whole gym sick and then the whole city sick. Besides, if you can't even beat me, you shouldn't be exerting yourself. Just sleep it off for one more night, okay?"  
"Wuuugh. Honestly, Catra?" she said, clenching her brow through a short headache. "I'm exhausted. You're right."  
"Sorry, what was that?" She held her hand to her ear. "One more time?"  
"Just gimme my tablet so I can answer emails, you dork."  
Catra nodded. Following that, she pulled out Adora's tablet from under the bed, the box of tissues from earlier, a small garbage can to dispose them in, a glass of water and a box of dry crackers, and set them all on the tray or nearby her side of the bed.  
"Oh my gosh Catra how long was I asleep earlier??"  
"You know I don't mess around with sick people Adora," she replied, tapping her face mask. She undid a corner of the blanket prison so Adora could eat. "Anything else? I only have like an hour before my shift at the store."  
"A kiss," she immediately replied.  
"No."  
"Come on, you're not gonna get sick from just a little one."  
"No."  
"Pleeeease? Just a little one, just on my forehead!"  
"No, Adora, I don't--"  
"Oh please, oh please!" she continued, becoming lugubrious. "My darling Catra, the love of my life please oh please bless me with your magical healing kiss, Catra, I want it I need it! Catra, Catra, Catra, my darling angel the beautiful genius, Catra the cunning and wise, I--"  
"Good lord fine, just please stop saying my name in that gross voice."  
Adora smiled, wide and bright, as a big drip of snot slowly fell from her nose.  
A grimace came across Catra's face.  
Slowly, softly, and with barely a touch, Catra put her hand to Adora's chin. She carefully and gingerly lowered her head. Like a butterfly on a dandelion, she moved in, tenderly touching the top of Adora's head with her lips.  
Through the face mask, of course.  
"Ugh, come on, Catra!" Adora pouted.  
"That's all you're getting."


	5. Illness: Toilet

"Shhhh... shhh..."  
Adora gently pet Catra's hefty mane, fingers running through her hair to soothe the beast below.  
"Uuuuugh..." Catra let out a huge groan, her face buried in the toilet. "Lonnie's gonna pay for this..."  
Adora let out a small chuckle. "Lonnie didn't MAKE you eat gas station sushi, Catra. She only dared you."  
Catra slowly lifted her head, and turned a stinging, baggy-eyed glare toward her girlfriend. There was only a small smile to greet her, baggy-eyed just as hers was.  
When Catra started making weird noises from the bathroom, Adora took it upon herself to check up on her. That itself had been twenty minutes ago. It was now 2:36am.  
Naturally, Adora hadn't stopped petting Catra since then.  
"Feeling better?" she asked, now moving to pet her back since she'd turned. Unfazed by the glares as always.  
Catra growled from her still gurgling stomach. "Do I look better?"  
"You always look nice," she replied, leaning against the bathtub and closing her eyes. Positioning, of course, so she could keep petting. "It'll be okay, it'll be okay..."  
"Go back to bed." Catra turned her face back toward the toilet, not knowing when her next surge would be. "You have an early morning."  
"Psh," she scoffed, still drowsy. "Basically no one comes to the gym that early. It's fine."  
"Ugh, you always have to be the hero, don't you?" Catra groaned into the bowl, resting her cheek on its edge. "Take it easy for once; let the idiot suffer. I'm just gonna go to sleep here."  
Adora sighed, and hobbled to her feet. "Okay, okay, I get it, Catra." She left the room without saying goodnight, leaving Catra alone.  
She watched her leave through tired eyes. Good, she thought, consigning to her fate. At least now she could wallow in her suffering. A downward glance caught a flicker of her reflection in the toilet water. She made a small smile. Pathetic. But misery did love company.  
And there was plenty of misery.  
She leaned back against the wall, unwilling to venture any further from her porcelain emergency exit. A gurgle from her stomach had her wiping at her lower lip again. But, eventually, her eyes started getting heavy. The bleak white walls glared down at her. The cold tiled floors chilled at her bare feet and legs. The horse picture across from the mirror... gave her short pause and a chuckle.  
"Click," as the lights in the apartment went off.  
Oh well, Catra thought, trying to find a position that was comfortable against both the bathroom wall and her stomachache. She tried to hug her stomach. Workable. The wall was icy on her cheek, eyes slowly closing as she made an attempt to drift away in the scalding abyss of her kitschy bathroom.  
"Okay, okay," Adora sang. She walked in with a flashlight, a big blanket, and a fresh glass of water. "We can sleep in the bathroom."  
"What!?" Catra nearly exert herself with her words. "No! Adora, go to bed!"  
"Huh? No, I can sleep here, it's fine." Adora spread out the blanket.  
"Oh my gosh you freak, get outta here." Catra tried to push Adora, but as usual her girlfriend's superhuman strength remained undaunted. "Sleep like a normal person."  
Adora hung her head to the side, displaying an extremely tired yet impossibly smug look to her equally sleepy girlfriend. "You really wanna stay in here all by yourself, Catra?"  
Catra squinted at her but was unable to give her answer.  
"Well, let me put it this way," she continued as she splayed out the bed supplies for a makeshift cot. "I wanna stay here and watch over you, just in case you beef it or somehow get even worse." She managed to get comfortable beneath the heavy blanket and bathroom wall. "It's okay to depend on people and want them around. It's fine Catra. You can admit that you like me and want me to stay here."  
Catra had a headache. An immaculate dance of knives and nails driving pain into her skull. She was cold and tired, barely able to keep her eyes open once Adora had spread the blanket over her. And her stomach, despite having emptied its contents and then some over the course of the past disgusting hour, was still unprepared for neither deep breaths nor vertical movement.  
Looking at Adora's stupid face, feeling her thumb gently rub her own hand, she decided to forgive herself for cuddling into Adora's shoulder.  
"I hate you," said Catra.  
"You liiiike me," said Adora.  
"You're insufferable," she continued, voice slowly falling. "'Oh, I'm Adora, everyone likes me and I'm always nice'. Well not me; you're just a big baby whining for everyone's attention." Catra yawned, and nuzzled closer. "I can see how desperate you are."  
Adora yawned in response. "Wow... Catra... can you quiet down...? I'm trying to sleep."  
And if it weren't for her tired limbs, she'd have punched Adora in the gut for that. But instead, she just smiled and drifted off.


	6. Tension

Late. One in the morning, maybe two.  
Catra groaned with tiredness as the bedroom door creaked open. She practically fell to her knees as she crawled into her side of the bed, heaving out a big sigh once she was finally cozied up inside.  
Adora was a heavy sleeper. But not this time.  
"Where were you?" she whispered.  
"NNNnngggg... bowling..."  
"Bowling?"  
She didn't answer. She sometimes got in this late; it wasn't uncommon.  
"Catra, we were supposed to babysit Bow's cousins today."  
Catra didn't answer.  
"I had to go there by myself."  
She didn't answer.  
"Catra?"  
"Ugh, what?"  
"Catra," she said, sitting up. She switched on a light and Catra shied away. "Come on, we promised, we'd--"  
"UGH! What do you want from me, I guess I forgot!" she hissed, pulling blankets over her head.  
"You didn't forget, Catra, you remember everything," she scolded. "Davie and Sonya threw a fit! I needed you tonight, okay?"  
"Okay fine but whatever, Davie can deal."  
"Davie is six and he CANNOT deal! You're his favorite! He was asking me all night when you were coming and I had to make something up! I didn't know if you were late, or what; you didn't answer your phone! Look, this isn't just about letting me down, you let him down, too, and--"  
"Well SORRY! Sorry I can't be there to impress your prep friends and their little cousins! You really think I would have been any help to you back there? You think I, of all people, can handle Davie!?"  
Adora took a deep breath, the bags under her eyes from a difficult night finally starting to take shape. Exhausted. Davie and Sonya were too much for Adora on her own; she wasn't exactly born to be a mother, she'd barely even had one of her own. She was a trainer at her job, but that definitely was not the same thing. All she knew about raising kids was from her own life.  
"Look," she said to Catra. "Just apologize to Bow and Davie and Sonya in the morning, okay?"  
"Ugh," she moaned, clenching her brow and rearing up for a comeback she could only have mustered while so tired and hazy. "Yes, Miss Weaver."  
She regretted the words a soon as she spoke them.  
"Adora, I--"  
THUMP. Adora stood with a start, clenching her pillow. She took it and stomped out of the room.  
"Adora, wait!"  
She didn't wait.   
She'd have slammed the door if Catra hadn't managed to meagerly jump out of bed and stopped it in time with her foot. Adora was settling into the couch when Catra came in to apologize.  
"Look, I'm sorry, I... I'm tired, I didn't mean it, you aren't--"  
"Aren't I!?" she snapped, pausing to look her directly in the eye. "I boss people around for a living, Catra, I tell them what to do and I make them feel bad for doing anything else.  
"And Bow's little cousins? Don't even get me started. They yell, and scream, and they don't listen to me, Catra, even though I'm bigger and stronger and smarter. I want what's best for them but they don't listen. And I can't help but hear her voice in my head telling me to discipline them, to push them or trick them. And then for a split second, Catra, I get it. 'It's for their own good,' she says, and I get it.  
"And then there's you. I LOVE you, Catra, I've loved you for my entire life! I support you, I believe in you, I do so much for you every day! And then... you just randomly decide to let me down, and... I just don't know how to feel about that.  
"'You cannot seem to aspire to even the lowest of standards I set for you'. I already sound like her, don't I? I swear, I've heard her say that to you a dozen times. And I won't be like that, so just forget it."  
Adora heavily sunk onto the couch, burying herself in its cushions and folds, deflated from her diatribe and on the verge of tears. She squeezed herself small to keep herself warm and hold back the waters.  
"Do whatever you want, Catra," she said, deflated. "I'm sorry for holding you back."  
A knife to the heart might have drawn less blood. Catra had never thought to make the comparison before. And she wouldn't now. But with Weaver in the air, it was impossible not to feel small and foolish.  
"Y...you're not like that, Adora," she muttered. She felt weak in times like this. "I promise, I'll do better, I'll--"  
"Don't talk to me like I'm her," she ordered. "Just go."  
Those stinging words bit Catra down to size. At such a commanding order, there was nothing more that she could do. Downtrodden and hesitating, she returned to the bedroom door.  
I love you, she said. Almost.  
But she lacked the strength.

* * *

Sorry I lied, she thought.  
I did get all of your messages. I ignored them. I ignored you.  
You don't... you don't understand, Adora.  
I'm trash, she continued. Get it? A loser. Kids shouldn't be around me; I'd make them cry or ruin their dinner or teach them bad words by accident or something. Bow was WRONG to trust me. I'm not a mom; I'm barely even a responsible adult. You're paying for this entire apartment BY YOURSELF, I'm just using you for a free room.  
I'm just using you.  
She got up without realizing what she was doing. She became conscious of it when her feet grazed the floor. But, she didn't turn back, wrapping a blanket around herself to keep warm.  
Silently, she snuck out of the bedroom to the couch. There was Adora. Right where she'd left her.  
Catra could see well in the dark. She could see her sleeping face, caught with its brow clenched. Not angry, just sad.  
She looked cold, too.  
Catra draped the blanket over her. The least she could do.  
She left to return to bed. Maybe find some other feeble blanket. But she didn't get far.  
"Catra."  
Catra turned to look. Adora didn't look so cold anymore.  
Adora then, wordlessly, lifted half the blanket for Catra to crawl in.  
And Catra could have cried, because Adora was impossible. After neglecting her promises to Adora, and after exacting the greatest possible insult onto her, here she was asking Catra to be with her. Not just letting, but asking.  
She didn't want to. Adora could be so warm, so comforting. Comfort Catra didn't deserve. How could she possibly take any more from her?  
She hesitated. Adora watched her hesitate.   
"Please?"  
Before too long, Catra gave in.  
"I'm sorry," she whispered after climbing in.  
"It's okay," she whispered back. "I love you."  
They had to cuddle extra close if they were both going to fit on the couch. So bunched up that heat easily came back. Catra's tears were boiling hot.  
"I love you, too," she said. But it felt like nothing. How could she be worth anything at this point? What possible exchange could there be for this?


	7. Apart: Bowling

Catra almost kicked her own door in once she got the key inside. The empty apartment opened with a bang.   
Unfortunately, the bowling pins at the local alley hadn't been as easy to take down.  
"UGH! I CANNOT believe Kyle can get even CLOSE to me!!"  
Scorpia followed her inside, "Heh heh, yeah he really has been improving, huh? I'm almost proud of him."  
"Don't you start with me," she snapped back, pointing a finger up at her friend. "How YOU manage to be any good is... it's an affront to nature! Four strikes in a row?? Are you KIDDING me!? What is WRONG with you??"  
"Aw, I told you, Catra, my uncle's been taking me bowling since I was eight."  
"You can barely hold a toothbrush, Scorpia, let alone a sixteen-pound ball."  
"I keep telling you, Catra, it's in the wrist! Here, try it with me." Scorpia struck some kind of bowling pose, showing off her mock technique. "Shoulders back, eyes forward, walk with purpose, swing, and follow-through, see?"  
"Stop," said Catra, groaning at the idea that Scorpia could teach her anything about anything. "Before you break something."  
"Oh! Right," she replied, stopping in the middle of her follow-through before an accident happened. "Last time..."  
Let's just say the apartment was a lot darker in one corner than it used to be.  
"Do you want anything?" Catra asked, turning to her kitchen. "We've go--..."  
She trailed off when she saw a cupcake on the counter. Vanilla frosting with rainbow sprinkles. It was all alone, just patiently sitting there. Waiting for its girlfriend to get home.  
"Aw, what's that?" asked Scorpia, peering at it. "Did Adora leave that for you?"  
Catra wordlessly picked it up. It had been weighing down a short note with a simple message.  
BOWLING LOSER >:P  
Scorpia laughed when she saw the note. But Catra was still silent, just staring at the simple gesture.  
"Catra?" her friend asked. "You okay?"  
Catra was more than okay. Dumbfounded by a mere cupcake, thoughts had been racing through her head since seeing the pastry. Rather, since an understanding of the pastry's meaning occurred to her. A wince appeared on her face as she realized she was falling behind. And a glint in her eye showed that her gears were turning; a look anyone who knew Catra as well as Scorpia did would recognize.  
"What're you thinking, wildcat?"  
"I love her, Scorpia."  
"Yeah?"  
"I'd never even THINK to do something like this."  
"So...?"  
"So!? She's winning. I can't have that."  
"Wha... Catra, what are you saying?"  
"What, I'm saying, Scorpia..." she turned around. Back to reality, a flame in her soul ignited. Mismatched eyes narrowed. A smirk both insidious and determined crossed her face. The look that told everyone Catra always gets what she wants.  
"What I'm saying is that I'm going to marry her."  
"Wow, marry her!" Scorpia exclaimed. "So you can... beat her in a fight...?"  
"No, you klutz, because I love her obviously." Catra took out her phone and grabbed for a pad and pen from a drawer. "We've talked about this before; the biggest obstacle right now..." She opened the banking app on her phone and started writing numbers down. "Is money... We can't afford a wedding, but MAYBE... I can afford a ring..."  
Scorpia watched Catra write, tap the pen on her chin, and write some more. There was always something calming about it, a distinct comforting air about Catra's aura in the moments before she solved a problem. Ruthless.  
"If I double my commission output... and get one or two gigs... and take a few extra hours at the store..." She circled a number "Eight weeks. That's the first week of February. Just in time for Valentine's."  
She ran through the numbers again, looking over the papers. That's a lot of extra work for her to do, but it's not TOO bad. She gave herself ample time for failures. She might have to do commissions while streaming, so hopefully her followers wouldn't mind. She'd have to stop turning them down, too. Even the cheapest ring she could find (cheap ring, nice honeymoon) was going to set her back, and most importantly she'd have to save the money in secret.  
But of course, Adora was worth it. Catra had had enough lagging behind, enough going through the motions. And enough feeling like she couldn't provide, like she wasn't enough for her.  
"I'm gonna have it all, Scorpia. Perfect job, perfect girlfriend."  
"Perfect wife," she corrected.  
"YES!" she said, wicked smile lighting up her face. "Perfect wife."


	8. Apart: Cleaning

"That's a great drawing, Davie!" Bow replied, looking at what his cousin had made. "Can you tell us about it?"  
Adora looked up from the closet she was cleaning and Glimmer looked up from her phone, each showing interest in his work.  
Davie held up his drawing from the TV tray, and showed the adults a figure laying down, with lots of pink squiggles coming out of it. "Catwa is dead and she's getting ate by worms."  
Glimmer hid her giggle. "Aw, that's beautiful, Davie."   
Adora did not hide her giggle. "Davie, it's gorgeous; do you want me to show it to Catra when she comes back?"  
"Yes," he said, handing the picture to Adora.  
"It would be awful if Catra died, though, right, Davie?" asked Bow, whose voice ached with the words of a man who had to remind his cousin of this rather often.  
With a dismissive "mhm," Davie returned to his work with crayons. He had officially checked out of the conversation.  
"Sorry, Adora," sighed Bow. "He's met Catra twice and she's already his favorite."  
"Are you kidding? This is going onto the fridge later." She filed the drawing along with the other papers and tax forms in the "revisit" pile forming on the floor. Cleaning out the closet was taking a little longer than she'd thought, but progress was good.  
"How is Catra?" asked Glimmer, turning back to her phone. "I swear, she's avoiding Bow and me."  
Adora was already back at work cleaning clutter out of her closet. "She's not 'avoiding you' avoiding you, she's just... not good at new people. Give her some time."  
"Hasn't it been long enough? Uh, whatever," Glimmer tuned her phone to Catra's social media profiles to see some of her work. "Okay, well, how's her modelling going? Is she looking for an agent yet?"  
"I think she got an offer one time, but she didn't like his 'terms and conditions' or something, so she turned him down." Adora paused to remember the conversation. "I told her that you're a model, too, Glim, and you could probably help her out, but that... kinda... made her LESS interested in talking with you about it."  
Glimmer rolled her eyes. "I get she's more of a cosplay type, but she's not gonna get far with that 'I can do everything by myself' attitude," she taunted.  
"Hey, that reckless attitude is what I love about her," countered Adora. "And she makes money! Look, she bought me this shirt!"  
Adora gestured to her shirt. It said "Pizza Princess" on it.  
Bow nodded, impressed. "That IS a really cool shirt."  
"Right?" Adora wiggled her eyebrows.  
"Ugh, look," Glimmer grunted. "We can all agree that's an awesome shirt, but seriously, Adora!" she paused, showing genuine concern. "Don't you ever worry about her?"  
Adora sighed, then paused to think. Responsibility was about more than just cool shirts, after all.  
"I mean... sometimes she buys things like expensive costume stuff or a sewing machine without telling me or asking me, but I know she thinks about the money she makes a lot. She's doing retail part-time at the same time, too, you know, just to make sure she has some money coming in when it's slow for her. She's wild, but... she's careful!  
"I know she's not some dead end because she's always thinking about success. It'd be one thing if she was bumming around all the time, but no, she's hard at work! She always has her eyes on the prize, on 'winning' and making it work out for her. And I know she'll never give up on making her dreams a reality.  
"And I love her, and I have a good, mostly-stable job, so I'll help her. I guess that's all there is to it."  
Glimmer let out a sigh, then became determined. "Alright. If you trust Catra, then we will, too, right, Bow?"  
"Yeah, Glim, I trusted Catra this entire time."  
"Okay, well..." Glimmer awkwardly looked around. "Right, Davie? We believe in Catra."  
Davie was still busy drawing, giving Glimmer an extremely cold shoulder.  
"Okay, okay, Catra aside," said Adora. She stood up. "That's enough cleaning. We can go to lunch now."  
"It's two 'o clock," said Bow flatly.  
"I.... oops."


	9. Occasions: Pots and Pans

"Wake up, sleepyhead." Adora nudged Catra's shoulders with a touch. She'd been up all night at her work again. The seamstress was leaning back in her chair, thimbles fallen to the ground where her hands had gone limp. Adora remarked to herself how funny it was that Catra sleeping was always either super cute or super ugly, like it was now with her face hanging open.   
The meager force she had applied to her girlfriend, though, was clearly not going to be enough to wake her. And she knew this when she made the attempt. But she needed an alibi before reaching for this particular prank.  
"CATRAWAKEUP!" she shouted, banging two huge metal pans together to enunciate the point.  
She jumped in her chair and nearly bruised her knee banging it on her desk.   
"AAH!" But, she quickly gained her composure. "You... butthead!" She lunged for one of Adora's pans and lightly pummeled her on the head with it. Another little battle between them broke out.   
"Oh, sorry, Catra, but I tried everything to wake you~!" she teased, trying to defend.  
"This...! Is...! What...! You...! Get...! A...! Do...! Ra...!" Catra said between bonks with the pan. Soon after, she realized how tired she was and gave it a rest.  
"Gosh, Catra," Adora remarked, looking around the room. Catra had set up her photo area again, lining a corner of the room with plain white paper. "You've been doing really well, huh? Still, you should come to bed for once, it's bad for your back."  
"The only bad thing for my back is you," she countered, yawning and stretching the long way to work out the kinks. "Merry Christmas. I'm hungry."  
"Well," she began, a mischievous grin hiding under her smile. "I think you'll be excited for this Christmas, Catra. I got you something I know you're gonna love."  
"Lead the way, Princess."  
And she did. A few days ago, they'd gotten a small janky-looking fake tree, and put it haphazardly in their living room, but today Adora had moved it onto the coffee table for the holiday.  
"I'll make some hot chocolate," she said as Catra sat down in front of the tree. "I figured that since Glimmer's party isn't until tomorrow, we could open each other's stuff today?"  
"Sure," she said eyeing the only present under the tree. It was decorated with one of those flowery bows on top. "Coffee, though, please."  
By the time Adora had gotten their drinks, Catra had nearly almost fallen back asleep. Coffee helped, though.  
"Okay, here, open it," she said, handing Catra her gift. "Merry Christmas!"  
She unwrapped it, setting the bow aside. "Ah, Chrono Trigger!" she said, genuinely excited to receive another game for their Super Nintendo. "A lot of my fans like this game, this'll be great, actually! Thanks, Adora."  
"Yeah, I heard you mention it last month! I'm glad you like it..." she slowly glanced around the apartment. "Um... is there anything for me...?"  
Catra had been so busy for the past few weeks that she hadn't had the time to make anything nor the cash to buy anything. She reached for her present's bow and put it on her head. "I got you me, Adora, I'm your present. Me and my undying love for you." She held out her arms in a lazy voila. "Do you like it?"  
"No," she scoffed. Though Catra didn't notice, it was missing a touch of her usual sarcasm. Catra always remembered every other holiday though, even days Adora usually forgot. "You... for real, you didn't get me anything?"  
"For real, Princess," she said, slouching back into the couch. "Can't afford to get a new pizza shirt every year."  
Following this made Adora even more nervous than she had been. "Okay, well I DID get you one more thing..." She pulled a small present out of her pajama pocket. "Buuut..." she joked. "I dunno maybe you don't deserve it."  
"Gimme," she replied, leaning forward and holding out her hands like a puppy. "I've been good this year, Adora; I deserve it."  
"Promise?" she teased, seriously struggling to hold back the beaming smile on her face.  
Catra paused, and came up with her grift. Leaning back ever so slightly, she landed on her signature smirk. "You want to give it to me," she said. "So hand it over."  
Here, Adora had time to think. She gripped her present for Catra tightly, and her glance wandered back to her lover's face. Narrowed, tempting eyes. One blue, one gold. Those lips curved into a wanting smile. Catra knew that she was going to win, she knew that she was seconds from victory. Such confidence, such cunning intelligence, and to top it all off? No one in the world knew Adora as well as Catra did. She couldn't ask for a better partner.  
So, with her cheeks pink and her heart warm and fluttering, she handed Catra the gift.  
"I love you," she said.  
"Love you, too, Princess," Catra grinned as she eagerly took it, taking pride knowing she'd charmed the princess yet again. What a weird little box. No point wondering what Adora had had in mind.  
Inside the wrapping was a soft black box. Catra was a model, she liked jewelry.  
Inside the box was a soft white mound of cloth.  
Inside that cloth was a shiny metal ring.  
Inside that ring was a gemstone.  
A diamond.  
As she had uncovered the engagement ring, Adora put her hands on Catra's, and bent off of the couch and onto one knee.  
"Catra," she said, swallowing hard a lump in her throat and smiling to her lover with all the confidence she could muster as she dangled from the edge of her fears. "Will you marry me?"  
And then the universe stopped.


	10. Occasions: Blows

How, she asked. A mob of emotions took over her thoughts. How had Adora snuck this much money past her? How had she managed to save up so quickly? When had she started; was she doing this the whole time? She checked Adora's calendar in her head. Was she taking on more clients? When did she even buy this? Catra had been keeping tabs on Adora's whereabouts for weeks so she could hide her own excess activities. So how? How had she gotten the money? How long was she planning this?  
How did she win? Again!?   
Adora called her name, but she couldn't hear it over the buzzing in her brain.  
Is she really this worthless? She couldn't even be bothered to get her girlfriend a present for Christmas, and here she was on her knees for her. Adora's an idiot. She's the perfect girlfriend and she'd be the perfect wife and she's the stupidest person on the face of the earth if she thinks there is ANY value in Catra's pointless, dead-end, parasitic scheming.  
This was wrong.  
She lost.  
"Catra?" she finally heard. From far away, like an echo.  
Startled, she let go of the ring as if it were suddenly white-hot.  
"Catra?"  
Her hands were sweaty.  
"Catra, what's wrong?"  
She looked up at Adora. Her face had gotten so pink from emotion. She was impossibly strong, but so fragile and kind. Adora would go to the ends of the Earth for Catra, run herself ragged just to please her. All this, chasing a happiness Catra could never provide, too stubborn and proud to admit that Catra would always be a loser.  
She had to run. To protect Adora from her own stupid ideas, and to protect herself from disappointing her again.  
It was the right thing to do.  
Quickly, Catra scrambled to her feet and made way for her work room. But she didn't make it a step before Adora grabbed her arm.  
"Catra, please!"  
Catra yanked on her arm, to no avail. This was no friendly tussle.  
"Catra!" she cried. "Talk to me, please! I... I don't understand!"  
She yanked even harder, determined not to look back. Anything but that. Still, Adora's grip tightened like a vice. Like she was dangling from the edge of a cliff.  
"Y...you can't do this, Catra, I--"  
"Adora," she finally spoke.  
And with all her confidence, with all of her bravado and power, Catra turned around to face her. She towered over her. She stared her right in the eye, undaunted by tears. Just as always, undaunted. All of the strength Adora admired most in Catra was turned against her with three simple words.  
"Let. Go." came her terrifying command. "Now."  
And what could Adora do? Hold her here, forever? Tackle her to the ground, and force her to talk? Force her to stay? For her own good?  
Tears streamed down Adora's face, stinging her eyes as cowardice finally got the better of her. She couldn't maintain eye contact. She fell. Her grip loosened, knuckles sore from force and mercy.  
The door to her office shut. Catra left Adora alone, staring at a door.  
"But I love you, Catra," she whispered to it. She had tried to scream, but whispers were all that came out. "I love you more than anything, I want you here with me forever, I thought that... are you scared? Am I smothering you too much, am I still holding you back...?  
"Every time I think I know you, you surprise me, Catra. It's brought me happiness every day of my life. Even now, I... I feel like you're right about everything, and I'm wrong.  
"I... I want you to be free, Catra," she said to the door. "I... I'll..."  
She managed to tear her eyes away from the door, to the window.  
She returned to the door, grazing the knob with her fingers. The lock was missing. She could force her way in, easily.  
"I'll be at the window," she whispered. "I love you."  
That's where she went. Morning was in full effect. Golden light streaked on the meager curtains and smudged glass. Warmth on her skin from the sun somehow managed to soothe her. She took a deep breath, ten seconds in, ten seconds out. Before long, though her heart was still pounding, heavy, and tired, she had found some kind of peace. She could know now that the woman she loved was free, even from her.  
Despite everything. It was a comfort.

* * *

Minutes passed, though it felt like days.  
Catra masterfully opened the door to her room without a sound. Adora was at the window, just like she'd said.  
Catra looked to the exit. She could slip out of the apartment without her noticing. It'd be easy. She could crash at Scorpia's place for a while. It'd be fine. She'd been in worse, she could--  
"Catra?" Her heart exploded like a landmine. She looked to Adora. She was staring. Catra had been found out.  
"CAT...ra..." Adora was about to lunge at her, but she didn't. She stopped herself, Catra could see, heavy with hesitation. Meek and small, she took a step back.  
A step back away from Catra.  
And, in that brief moment of Adora moving away from her, that sincere allowance of space somehow struck a chord in her. The mere idea that Adora could leave; the slight suggestion that Catra could drive her away. It awakened a whole new type of panic.  
That was Adora. The love of her life. Impossibly strong, impossibly kind. She'd stand up for a mockingbird if you said its song was annoying. Everyone loved Adora; how couldn't they? Who wouldn't want such a beacon of kindness in their life?  
Catra never took Adora for granted, not for a second. She never felt like she had enough to give for what Adora's love could do for her.  
But I can leave, said Adora's step back. I can be gone, if you want me to.  
No.  
Never.  
A life with Adora was worth any exchange.  
Catra ran into her arms so fast that Adora felt a gust of wind. The impact sent them banging into a wall, knocking a few trinkets off of a bookshelf.  
"YEEEEEESSSS!" Catra wailed. Her sobs were loud, and ugly, like she was possessed. "YES, I'll marry you, ADORA!!! P-Please, marry me, Adora, PLEASE!!"   
"Yes..." Adora whispered, "yes", over and over. All the while, she pet Catra's mane and held her as close as she could.  
They cried together for nearly an hour, their hearts finally returning home.  
Like a couple of babies.


	11. Occasions: Words

Catra wanted Adora to start.  
"I guess... I guess I feel like I'm always asking for you. Like I have to beg you to kiss me, like I have to walk on eggshells just to get you to say something nice to me... does that make sense?"  
She turned her head to face Catra. They'd been lying in bed for a while, just talking. It had been an eventful Christmas.  
"Ugh, I'm sorry!" Catra replied, burying her head in her hands. "I'm a dork, Adora, I sometimes do that because I LIKE being close to you and it makes me uncomfortable how much I like it."  
She turned back to Adora to find a completely incredulous look on her face.  
"Ugh!" Catra continued. "It feels good, okay! I love you so much that I feel like I don't deserve it and it makes me feel emotionally vulnerable, okay?? Get it? I LIKE it when you ask me to kiss you because then it feels like I'm doing it for you and it absolves me of the guilt."  
"Hey," she said, reaching her hand to Catra's cheek.  
"Yeah?"  
"Kiss me. Kiss me whenever you want."  
"Yes, ma'am." They leaned in for a gentle touch of their lips. "Is there anything else that's been bothering you?"  
"No, I just... I don't want to feel like I'm controlling you, and I want you to feel free. Free to do whatever you want and tell me anything."  
"Ugh. Adora... okay my turn." Catra looked up at the ceiling while she thought. "I feel like it's ME who's controlling YOU. I feel like I can do whatever I want and you'll always forgive me, you'll always want me around and you'll always be nice to me. I'm afraid that I'm taking you for granted, and it... it makes me want to back away, like I don't deserve you. Like one day you'll wake up and realize I'm worthless."  
"Hey! Don't you call my fiancée worthless!"  
"See, that's the kind of thing you'd say, you massive dork!"  
"I mean..." Adora mulled it over. "I guess it's kind of hard for me to call you out sometimes, because I don't want to micromanage you and stuff... how about this: if you ever do anything too bad, I promise I'll make you own up to it, okay? I won't go easy on you anymore."  
Catra sighed. "I guess that's kind of reassuring."  
"Clean your toenails out of the bathroom when you cut them."  
"Heh. That's a start."  
"And I can hear the TV when you stay up late--I know the walls are kinda thin but I have work, you know?"  
"Wow. You had a couple of these saved up huh?"  
Adora sat up. "And you really should have gotten me a Christmas present today! I'm your FIANCEE for Goodness' sake!"  
"Whoa, simmer down, Princess." She sat up to meet her. "Actually, funny story. I didn't get you a present today because I was going to propose to YOU on Valentine's. I was saving up for it."  
"Oh..." she mumbled, with a tinge of guilt. Maybe she really did have it easy; Catra had been working so much harder than she thought.  
"Speaking of that, how did you get the money for a ring so soon? How're we paying for this?"  
"Heh heh heh..." she snickered. "My secret weapon!" She reached over to her side of the bed, and pulled a sheet of paper. "I wanted to talk to you about this; I still have the receipt if you want to return the ring."  
Adora handed Catra the document. "STATEMENT OF INHERITANCE: ON BEHALF OF LYDIA WEAVER."  
"I found it while cleaning out the closet. Remember how Weaver died last year? Well, I guess she never took me out of her will. It's not THAT much, but--"  
"UUUUGH. Of COURSE you're her favorite, even in DEATH!"  
"So yeah, that's kind of the thing. Are we low enough to accept her money?"  
Catra peeked out from above the letter, grinning with only her eyes. "Oh Adora, nothing's too low for me. I'm too good for everything that old hag ever offered me, except money. Weaver's paying for our wedding? She finally does us a favor."  
"Okay good, because I actually did lose the receipt."  
"HA! I love you, Adora. Let's kiss."  
"Love you, too, Catra."  
Arms around each other, cozy on a Christmas evening, Catra and Adora shared a sweet smooch. And from that night onwards, between the two of them, there were no more exchanges to be made.


End file.
